Autotrail…. Are they really that bad…?

Just looked on Amazon for a damp meter. They are only about £20 ish.................................BUT, i have no idea which one i should buy. Could someone advise accordingly. Ta
 
We have a 2013 Savannah and to directly answer the question -No they are not bad at all. Had very few very minor issues largely due to previous owners lack of care. We've had the van for 3 years now and have no intention of changing
Ian
 
bobnick said:
Just looked on Amazon for a damp meter. They are only about £20 ish.................................BUT, i have no idea which one i should buy. Could someone advise accordingly. Ta
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I have a Brennenstuhl, yellow and grey. Very useful to have, not only for the motorhome, but for firewood for our two wood burners
 
Sid52 said:
I have a Brennenstuhl, yellow and grey. Very useful to have, not only for the motorhome, but for firewood for our two wood burners
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Agree with all of the above. Quality piece of kit at the price.👍👍A77E6E41-1154-44FC-8CDF-CD612B3F473F.png

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Sid52 said:
I have a Brennenstuhl, yellow and grey. Very useful to have, not only for the motorhome, but for firewood for our two wood burners
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DJT said:
Agree with all of the above. Quality piece of kit at the price.👍👍
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Likewise. Tested ours against a commercial \ professional Protimeter(?) and was within a decimal point or two of it.
 
There seem to be a few underlying comments on here about looking after your van linked to problems, whilst I agree that regular servicing and hab checks will identify problems early it doesn't necessarily stop them, as described earlier our van has had numerous serious problems with both the base model and body but I can assure you that I look after my stuff including all annual checks but you can't stop a floor delamination or leaks in the body if the workmanship is poor. Having owned an Autotrail previously I think we picked a bad one which has definitely put me off buying another one.
 
bobnick said:
A mail was sent to Auto Trail this am.
Await response.
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I hope it goes well for you as you shouldn't be out of pocket for something like this (especially under the recent CV19 circumstances).

That said, if they reject your claim then I would reply to them by sending a current link to the Autotrail Unhappy Owners Club which has a whole list of ongoing Autotrail rejections by people who have managed to discover the AUOC site.

There's one example of an Autotrail Ford F62 which has just been delivered new from the dealer and it already has considerable damp to the roof with staining.

Good luck, fingers crossed!
 
I have had a reply from AT. Now corresponding with DA.
AT have intimated that the warranty can be extended if if if. I am trying to sort that now.

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Latest.
I have cancelled my order for the new van.
The issue with my Imala is going to take time to sort out.
Need to have a NCC full Hab check. The one at DA was only a damp test evidently.
I have booked it in to my local service repair centre for 11th July for said Hab check??
Then i have to re book for the repairs that need doing. Them being so busy that could take a further month possibly more, then the repairs could take a good bit of time as they have to order parts.
Then i have to go back to AT to claim the warranty. It could be refused as i did not transfer said warranty from the person i bought the van from (i didn't know you had to, lot's of warranty's are transferable without needing to, but i suppose they want your £50).
It's all a mess that will take time to sort so i thought the best course was to cancel the new one until it's sorted.

DA have agreed to return my deposit under the circumstances.
 
If you want a new van in the future would the depreciation of the van out weigh the loss on px due to repair. The price gap between a new van and your van could be greater in a few months time, just a thought
 
Ivory55 said:
If you want a new van in the future would the depreciation of the van out weigh the loss on px due to repair. The price gap between a new van and your van could be greater in a few months time, just a thought
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To be honest not too bothered. When the mess is sorted with this Imala we will buy whatever at that time.
 
Gellyneck said:
Likewise. Tested ours against a commercial \ professional Protimeter(?) and was within a decimal point or two of it.
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I’ve just ordered one as well. Arrive tomorrow. What sort of reading should I be happy with? Autotrail Dakota.
 
I was in a similar position so contacted Autotrail prior to the habitat survey being due. They pointed out that many services centres were still open and sent me a list. I was unhappy but found it difficult to argue as they were sympathetic but firm. Luckily Johns Cross opened up again in time and fitted me in.

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The Dotties said:
I’ve just ordered one as well. Arrive tomorrow. What sort of reading should I be happy with? Autotrail Dakota.
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The back of the thing is marked with-
  • 0% - 11.9% = Low
  • 12% - 15.9% = Medium
  • 16% - 50% = High
however AT advise the following -
  • Readings between 0 - 15% - are no cause for concern.
  • Readings between 15% - 20% - a further check within 3 months is recommended.
  • Readings between 20% - 24% - indicate possible early signs of water ingress and it is likely that there will be visible evidence of water ingress. Remedial work may possibly be required. A further check within 3 months is recommended.
  • Readings between 25% - 30% - indicate that moisture ingress is occurring and remedial work is necessary. A further check within 3 months is to be considered.
  • Readings more than 30% - indicate that damage is possible and remedial work is necessary.
 
TCG said:
we love our 2013 Delaware. 3 litre 180 multi. never missed a beat and every damp check reading less than 12%.
go for it (y)
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I put over 300,000 miles on a daily pickup with the 3.0 iveco engine in it , never let me down once , camchain got a bit rattly on cold starts but once warmed up it was fine , even still on the original clutch and flywheel ,and pulling a 3.5t trailer
What I liked about it was the acceleration when empty on dry roads

You know that **** that thinks I'm not queueing I'll use the left turn only lane then beat him away from the lights

Yeah that's not happening mate 🤣
 
They are a very aspirational brand and we bought a new Autotrial Scout one as our 2nd motorhome in 2015.They are a triumph of marketing over substance. Looks great but we had water ingress problems every single year of ownership, the last time needed it to be taken back to the manufacturers for 4 months work. We'd already decided to get rid. There is a very active Unhappy Autotrail Owners Facebook page. There are many happy owners and every brand has its problems but I just feel its more of a gamble when you buy an AT. To be fair the warranty work was always carried out without quibble and we purchased from a helpful dealer. (Premier)
 
Just smiffy said:
I’ve been looking at a replacement motorhome for some time now and it’s getting harder and harder at the moment and looks like it’s going to continue that way for some time…

now I’ve seen a few Autotrails come along that have the layout I like and seem to be a good price (under £30k)
I know they have a bad reputation but there are a lot driving around so they can’t be all bad can they..? I’m very good at diy and mechanics and could probably solve and improve any failings they have so if I got a fairly good one to begin with I’ll hopefully be able to keep it that way with my skills…. Most have been in the 2000-2010 year bracket…
Most are Mercedes Autos and some 3ltr Fiat Autos…

honest opinions please and I don’t mind a few p*** takes…😉
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We have had our Chieftain for about 7 years or so now
Still as good as anyone could want it to be..
In fact Darrel, ( no1 son and Nemo on here.. not that he ever bloody posts ! ) has just last week bought a Dakota because he likes ours so much
I would have no problem recommending Autotrail

Just realised.. Late to the party again.. but I stand by my appraisal of the make..
 
We bought a Scout new in 2013. We had some minor internal issues with it like cupboards not fixed properly but nothing major and no leaks. Great layout.

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I have an Autotrail Tribute Sport 615 2014 and had it 6 years and considering they are Autotrails cheepo i have had no real issues and out of the 6 vans i have owned (including 2 Hymers) it comes near the top.
 
In hindsight i would have another Autotrail tomorrow.........but it would have to be new.

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We have had two, both bought new. The first in 2006 was a Cheyenne 696G. It turned out to be a problem vehicle, with a multitude of problems, damp,water leaks, tainted fresh water tank, delamination, habitation door step coming away from the wall & a host of other minor niggles. We were glad to get rid of it after 3 years. After owning a Hobby, Autocruise & Benimar, in 2019 we decided to give Autotrail another chance as we found one locally at a good price & that had the layout we wanted (Imala 715). This turned out to be a lot better than the Cheyenne with a lot fewer snags but we still had water leaks & problems with the 12V electrics that took repeated trips to the dealer to get sorted. At the last habitation check it was beginning to show dampness so earlier this year it was replaced with our current vehicle, an Itineo.

Having had two Autotrails with issues I doubt I would buy another. To me they look great, have some good layouts & a very good specification but in our experience suffer from serious build quality issues.
 
ROCHESB said:
Having had two Autotrails with issues I doubt I would buy another. To me they look great, have some good layouts & a very good specification but in our experience suffer from serious build quality issues.
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I really think the firm must go through good and poor quality inspection folk
They certainly went through a quite long bad patch from about 2008 until 2012.. But bottom line is, as always the case, there are good and bad

Think about how many are built and how many have problems

Folk never report a perfect van as it seems ( at the time ) a bit daft.
They buy a new van expect it all to be good and it is, so nowt to report

One the other hand, someone buys a duff one and there is ( rightly ) plenty to say
Base line being we rarely get to hear about the good stuff, only the bad .....

Seems to be the case in pretty much all aspects of our modern, on line, life
 
Chris said:
We bought a Scout new in 2013. We had some minor internal issues with it like cupboards not fixed properly but nothing major and no leaks. Great layout.
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Thought you had issues with the oven door🤔🤔😂😂
 

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